New here...in pain and worried.

TawnieMack
TawnieMack Member Posts: 5
in Kidney Cancer #1

Good morning everyone, 

 

In January of 2017, an incidental 'mass' was found during a CT for abdominal pain. It measured 9mm in the right renal pelvis. It was noted as hypodense, Hounsfield 22, and NOT a simple cyst. The urologist stated that although it was in a 'bad place', he just wanted to follow it unless I started to have symptoms. The flank pain started about a month later, but I sluffed it off. Then came what I thought were kidney infections, that I self-treated with antibiotics I already had at home. About a week ago, my 4th bout of a 'kidney infection' started so I went to the Dr. to get more antibiotics. They did a urine test, and this time found blood and protein in my urine. He sent my urine for a culture, but it came back negative with no bacteria. Therefore, NOT an infection. This brings me to where I am today; having severe right flank pain. My Dr. ordered an emergancy CT, and now I wait until my insurance okay's it. 

 

I'm feeling very uneasy, restless, and just want the pain to stop. Tramadol and Celebrex are my best friends at the moment. UGH.

Comments

  • Jan4you
    Jan4you Member Posts: 1,330 Member
    #2
    WOW enuff! Sorry you have

    WOW enuff! Sorry you have been in pain. Is this urologist familiar with RCC (renal cancer) and knows how to do the surgeries? Otherwise, get a 2nd opinion. 9mm is teen-tiny, but the pain is not! You may have inflammation . Ask for an anti-inflammatory which ends up working best than just pain pills. Ibruprofin 600mg to 800 mg RX or 3-200 mg OTC Ibruprofin may help better. 

    Let us know what you find out. Again a 2nd opinion may give you peace of mind.

    Sending you HOPE and HEALING hugs!!

    Jan

  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    edited February 2018 #3
    You are very lucky

    Tawney,

     

    If you are going to have a Kidney Mass you are very lucky that it was identified so early. Get that second opinion if your Urologist is not a Kidney surgeon as well. From everything you have posted you should have an excellent prognosis. And yes we have all been thru the pains and worry that you are going thru.

     

     

    Icemantoo

  • TawnieMack
    TawnieMack Member Posts: 5
    #4
    The Celebrex is an

    The Celebrex is an antiinflammatory, I can't take ibuprofen unfortunately. Hopefully I'll get into CT today, and see if that little booger has grown in the last 14 months. 

  • AnnissaP
    AnnissaP Member Posts: 632 Member
    #5
    Hi! I can def relate to the

    Hi! I can def relate to the kidney infection feeling and flank pain. I had an awful awful kidney infection a few years ago. Then for about 1 yr after that I kept getting the same symptoms, but no infection. Last year I kept feeling like someone knuckle-punched me in the kidney. It was a strange pinching, pain feeling in that area. By the end of my work day I would be bent over and grabbing my side. Anyhow, the tumor was found last August and I had my kidney removed in November. I told the oncologist about it and he didn't think it had anything to do with the tumor. I am 3 mths past surgery and that pain is gone and has never returned. I can vividly remember what it felt like too. I knew it wasn't a muscle like one dr tried to tell me. Good luck with everything!!

  • TawnieMack
    TawnieMack Member Posts: 5
    #6
    AnnissaP said:

    Hi! I can def relate to the

    Hi! I can def relate to the kidney infection feeling and flank pain. I had an awful awful kidney infection a few years ago. Then for about 1 yr after that I kept getting the same symptoms, but no infection. Last year I kept feeling like someone knuckle-punched me in the kidney. It was a strange pinching, pain feeling in that area. By the end of my work day I would be bent over and grabbing my side. Anyhow, the tumor was found last August and I had my kidney removed in November. I told the oncologist about it and he didn't think it had anything to do with the tumor. I am 3 mths past surgery and that pain is gone and has never returned. I can vividly remember what it felt like too. I knew it wasn't a muscle like one dr tried to tell me. Good luck with everything!!

    Thank You!

    The consensus I keep hearing is 'tumors don't cause pain.' I call bologna!!!!  I'm still waiting for a CT...apparently the Dr.'s office put in the order wrong, so the imaging center never got the order. I should be hearing from them very shortly. I'm still so very sick of the pain!

  • Abunai
    Abunai Member Posts: 173 Member
    #7
    TawnieMack said:

    Thank You!

    The consensus I keep hearing is 'tumors don't cause pain.' I call bologna!!!!  I'm still waiting for a CT...apparently the Dr.'s office put in the order wrong, so the imaging center never got the order. I should be hearing from them very shortly. I'm still so very sick of the pain!

    Well, that depends...

    I think, just based on personal experience, that the location of the tumor probably determines whether or not it causes pain.

    I don't feel the tumors in my lungs, but I do feel the ones in my bones (spine, ribs, femurs, pelvis).

    Granted, there are a whole host of other, much more common, much less serious, things that can cause pain, but to the main point, yes, I believe that tumors can cause pain.

  • TawnieMack
    TawnieMack Member Posts: 5
    #8
    So frustrated...

    Finally got the results back from the CT. The only thing it read was pelvic renal cyst has not changed much, and is too small to characterize. No other abnormalities, no obstruction and no stones. The pain is still continual. It still burns sometimes when I go to the bathroom, yet there is no infection. My Dr. has now called in a referal to gastro. I have ZERO gastro symptoms!  

    Something has to be causing the flank pain, the proteinuria and the microhematuria. What do I do??? 

  • Max57
    Max57 Member Posts: 177 Member
    #9
    TawnieMack said:

    So frustrated...

    Finally got the results back from the CT. The only thing it read was pelvic renal cyst has not changed much, and is too small to characterize. No other abnormalities, no obstruction and no stones. The pain is still continual. It still burns sometimes when I go to the bathroom, yet there is no infection. My Dr. has now called in a referal to gastro. I have ZERO gastro symptoms!  

    Something has to be causing the flank pain, the proteinuria and the microhematuria. What do I do??? 

    Tawnie

    Did you check for kidney stones ? 

  • Supersum
    Supersum Member Posts: 109 Member
    #10
    TawnieMack said:

    Thank You!

    The consensus I keep hearing is 'tumors don't cause pain.' I call bologna!!!!  I'm still waiting for a CT...apparently the Dr.'s office put in the order wrong, so the imaging center never got the order. I should be hearing from them very shortly. I'm still so very sick of the pain!

    Although this is almost

    Although this is almost certainly not relevant to your situation, pain in your back or side (that doesn't go away), is a recognised symptom of RCC.

  • TawnieMack
    TawnieMack Member Posts: 5
    #11
    Yes, no stones. :(

    Yes, he said no stones.

  • Sciencelady
    Sciencelady Member Posts: 2
    edited March 2018 #12
    AnnissaP said:

    Hi! I can def relate to the

    Hi! I can def relate to the kidney infection feeling and flank pain. I had an awful awful kidney infection a few years ago. Then for about 1 yr after that I kept getting the same symptoms, but no infection. Last year I kept feeling like someone knuckle-punched me in the kidney. It was a strange pinching, pain feeling in that area. By the end of my work day I would be bent over and grabbing my side. Anyhow, the tumor was found last August and I had my kidney removed in November. I told the oncologist about it and he didn't think it had anything to do with the tumor. I am 3 mths past surgery and that pain is gone and has never returned. I can vividly remember what it felt like too. I knew it wasn't a muscle like one dr tried to tell me. Good luck with everything!!

    pain

    I am surprised to hear that people have experienced pain with their kidney cancer. Mine was massive (about 2/3 the kidney engulfed) and I had various symptoms, none of which pointed directly to anything. Finally prolonged constipation led to a CT and the cancer was found. I have never had any pain, other than from the surgeries.

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